Reading Lessons
by FairyWriting
Summary: Learning to read is not as simple as picking up a book.
Hawke entered Fenris' mansion without a knock or a prior announcement of her arrival. It was not uncommon for her to arrive in such a way. Sometimes she would announce her intent to visit him earlier in the day, but more often than not she appeared out of the blue.

There was no doubt where Fenris would be within the mansion. Unless she caught him leaving the place, he would be in the dining room. In the dining room, he would be surrounded by an increasing amount of bottles and a thickening layer of dust.

"If you don't clean up soon, you won't be able to get to your favorite drinking chair," Hawke joked.

Fenris shrugged, unperturbed by his surroundings. He would pick up the floor eventually, or at least shove enough of the bottles into a different room that his walkway would be cleared again. For now, he was unconcerned by the mess. He could still reach the table, even if he could not throw down a bottle without it clanking against other empty containers.

Recognizing that he was not in a talking mood, Hawke waded her way through the mess and took a seat at the table. She helped herself to some of Fenris' supply of wine and leaned back in the chair. A look of contemplation overtook her face as she sipped on the drink. Between the two, only the sound of wine sips tainted the air.

Fenris did not usually mind Hawke staring at him. In fact, her stares often left him feeling warm in a pleasant way that was still unfamiliar. He liked the stares where there was laughter in her eyes or a smart remark on the tip of her tongue. That was not how she was looking at him now. Her eyes were too narrow, and her brow scrunched in concentration. It was starting to make him uncomfortable.

"What do you want, Hawke?" Fenris asked, breaking the silence.

"To teach you," Hawke said.

"What?" Fenris raised an eyebrow.

"Remember what I said about teaching you to read? I intend to keep my word, but I am having the hardest time deciding where to start. It would be cruel to expect you to read the book I gave you without teaching you the basics. Do I teach you the alphabet? Do I start with basic words? What about grammar? I was given lessons when I was young, but that was so long ago I hardly remember where my tutor began."

Dumbfounded by her outburst, it was Fenris' turn to stare. He remembered the day that Hawke offered to teach him how to read. Her words had left him feeling closer to her, and he thought about her offer some nights as he drank. While he believed that she meant her words, he had thought it to have been only sentiment. He had not expected her to dwell on the prospect.

He clenched his jaw, realizing his mouth had been agape like a fool. Hawke did not notice. She was too busy rambling on the rules of grammar and speaking a number of words that meant nothing to him. Her words did not make sense, but he could tell that she was putting a good deal of thought into her lessons.

"Hawke."

"Yes?" She stopped her ramble.

"Hawke. Teach me that word."

She nodded her head," I can do that."

Hawke's grin gave Fenris the same tingle as a second glass of wine.

Disappearing from the room, Hawke reappeared a few minutes later with paper, ink, and a quill. She had looted the study, a room for which Fenris had little use. He could not even say where it was off the top of his head.

Sitting at the table, she began to write. Fenris watched over her shoulder as she made lines on the paper. It seemed to him that they were letters. They looked like shapes he had seen before, although he had to take her word for it as to what they were.

"H-A-W-K-E," she read. She pointed to the last letter and added, "You have this letter in your name, too."

"Tell me again."

Hawke repeated the name commonly used by her companions. She named each letter, and Fenris repeated the sounds. The sounds did not come as smoothly off his tongue as they did from hers, but she corrected him until he could name them correctly. She had him repeat the letters until his voice's pitch changed with annoyance. Satisfied that he would remember the letters, she began to write a new word.

"F-E-N-R-I-S."

"My name," he guessed.

"That's right. This is how you spell it."

It was odd, seeing his name written on paper. It was as if he could grasp the letters and physically hold the concept in his hands. He possessed it.

Like before, Hawke had him repeat the letters until he was certain that the letters would haunt him in his dreams. To make sure that he was learning and not simply repeating the order of her words, she pointed to her name again. He correctly named them.

"See, if you can get this down, I can have you reading in no time," Hawke said. "I'll think of some basic words you should know for next time I come over. Maybe we'll do a few basic sentences. I could teach you to read those 'Do not enter.' warning signs that we always ignore."

Fenris acknowledged her enthusiasm with a single nod of the head. He picked up the piece of paper she had written on and studied it carefully. He would remember these words and the letters that made them. With her help, he would learn the rest of them in time. Every letter he learned would push him farther from his past where such knowledge was kept from him.

The paper crumbled in his hands, a result of the intensity of his thoughts. He set the paper back down on the table, his fingers smoothing out most of the damage done to the paper in one smooth motion.

With a subdued smile, Fenris said, "Thank you, Hawke."

"It's my pleasure."


End file.
